It’s not (bleeping) over for Tiger

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Go back a week ago, to last Monday, when Tiger Woods met the media. Then he said the key word.

Asked if he planned to show more respect to the game, Tiger said:

“Yeah, great question. I’m actually going to try and obviously not get as hot when I play.”

The key word?

Try.

The criticism of his on-course behavior wasn’t as unfair as another last week. This began when Tiger attempted to explain how he got in major championship form without playing in tournaments.

He referenced Ben Hogan both on Thursday and Friday. “It’s very similar to what Hogan went through coming off the accident,” Woods said after his second round. “I just couldn’t play that much, and when you can’t play you have to concentrate on your practice. It would have been nice to actually have a normal schedule and play, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Obviously, Tiger and Hogan came with entirely different circumstances. Tiger’s infidelities and rehab are no comparison to the traffic accident that Hogan survived. Their treatment of their wives is an even greater contrast.

As the story goes, Hogan threw himself in front of wife, Valerie, in the passenger’s seat, to protect her from the impact of an oncoming bus. There were no seat belts then.

Tiger’s SUV crash was somewhat less heroic.

Still, the only parallel Tiger was using was how Hogan once had to practice instead of play. Nothing more.

But it’s been open season on Tiger, and various sportswriters used this. Among them was Dan Jenkins, a Texan and one of the best golf writers, who said: “It’s stupid, moronic. Other than that, it’s fine. Hogan nearly died. All Tiger did was damn near get syphilis.”

Funny line. But it would have been funnier had Tiger actually said something else.

In contrast, Tiger did blurt out various words on the course on Saturday that Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were never caught saying in public. That brought the usual analysis and finger wagging. Some thought Tiger had improved, since he had chosen four-letter words that were less offensive, and some pointed out that Tiger had broken his vow just days after making it.

But he’s played this way forever. He’s shown his anger, and he’s thrown clubs and cursed, and people let him get away with it.

So changing isn’t easy. When he misses under pressure now, Tiger’s instinct is to react as he always has. Trying is about all he can do.

“People are making way too much of this thing,” Tiger said, and people will continue to.

Tiger will be monitored at his next tournament, and the one after that, until he stops playing golf.

Which is why he had better try harder.

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As for Jenkins and the concept of stupid and moronic, he sent this out on Twitter on Saturday: “Y.E. Yang is only three shots off the lead. I think we got takeout from him last night.”